ANN ARBOR -- By Brady Hoke's standards, Michigan's 2013 season has already been chalked up as another failure.

The Wolverines (7-4, 3-4) will not win a Big Ten championship, extending their drought to a whopping nine years. They've already dropped four games. Their offense is staggering. And now, they've got to deal with Urban Meyer, Ohio State and the Buckeyes' 23-game winning streak.

But, even still, Hoke's sticking to his guns.

Asked about what direction his program is currently headed in Monday, Hoke said he has no doubt.

Michigan is progressing in the right direction, in his mind.

"I know that this is going in the right direction," Hoke said firmly. "What am I going to say?

"It's going backwards? I mean, seriously. I feel very confident in what we're doing, and how our kids are responding."

While Michigan's defense has seemingly improved, even if only by small margins, from week to week, the Wolverines' offense has been an outright disaster throughout the month of November.

The Wolverines now rank No. 96 nationally in total offense. They've rushed for less than 33 yards per game in the month of November, and they've surrendered a whopping 103 tackles for loss this season.

Still, Hoke insists his team hasn't given up. He insists that, mentally, everyone is still on board and with the program.

And that he hasn't lost control of the ship.

"Some teams (give up when things get tough)," Hoke said. "This isn't one of them."

Hoke was also asked if he's felt any heat or any noise from outside voices this season, as his program now faces the reality of potentially going from two losses to five to possibly six in a three-year span.

To that, Hoke says no, not really.

"I don't listen very well," Hoke said with a grin. "No one knows but the guys in that building, and the people directly with the program, how they've practiced every day and how they've come out and worked.

"All those things. Those are positive. And you see the progress. .... The Willie Henrys, you see some of those guys coming along. People have opinions, they'll say what they want to say."

As far as this week is concerned, Michigan is a 14-point home underdog to the Buckeyes, who have won 23 straight games and are expected to roll all over Hoke's Wolverines on Saturday.

But Michigan insists, again, it isn't worried about anything happening outside of its own locker room.

Virtually no one believes Michigan can win this football game.

Except, of course, Michigan.

"We have heart, this team believes in themselves," Michigan left tackle Taylor Lewan said. "It doesn't matter what any media or any fan or anybody thinks about this team. The only thing that matters is if the guys in the locker room believe.

"That's it. I don't care if a trainer on our team or somebody else doesn't believe, it doesn't matter. They're not playing the game. This is it. The University of Michigan, this is all we've got, family. Brothers. If we all believe, if we have 115 guys believing, then we can win a game. A game. A single game. I don't care what the (spread is), Saturday, all bets are off."

Even if Michigan finds a way to topple Ohio State on Saturday, it'll still finish the year with an 8-4 regular season record.

And even though it'd be something to build on, the year as a whole still hasn't been good enough.

Hoke stands by that, too.

"I would hope there would be higher expectations," Hoke said. "It's Michigan."